Ephedrine solution



idly and-completely Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES Io Drawing.

The resent invention relates to ephedrine so utions, and morearticularly ephedrinedissolvedin a vegeta le menstrum.

The vasoconstrictive roperties exerted by 5 ephedrine upon the blvessels of the human system are well known, the substance having beenused for many years in China, where it apparently originated, andrecently in the United States on an increasing scale.

I" It is customary to spray the ephedrine solution upon the afiectedorgans, and the solution is specifically useful as a medicine forrelieving congestion in the nasal passage.

When used for such a purpose, it is essential that instant relief beg1ven,and more over that the alleviation of the congestion be sustained.

The solution forming the subject matter of this invention permits theephedrine to re exert its action, wh' e at the same time the effect ismaintained for a considerable period. In fact, it has been proven inactual use that with the application of my solution the possibility ofreturn of congestion is reduced to a minimum. This solution is usefulfor all sorts of catarrhal and congestive conditions in the nasalpassage, as well as for affections of the throat. Various solutionmkavebeen employed in recent years lt these have all presented thedifiiculties action and more intimate contact of the ephedrine with themucous membranes of the nose than has heretofore been ossible, and theduration of this action will he prolonged and accomplished with aminimum of irriv tation to the atient. r The vegeta le menstrum ormucilaginous solution which I emplo is prepared by dissolving a'compoundo vegetable origin, in

Application fled larch 10, mo. fleri al l 'lmfihm.

solutionv preparation will then be complete.

'tragacant 0' not being stable, of requiring the exercise 0 great careand expense in the pil'eparation, and moreover have not success-f .thesolution sodium chloride,

the nature-pf gum tragacanth, Irish moss, and otherlsimilar compounds,in water. It is (preferable that the vegetable com und be a emulcent,and readily soluble in t e water.

A solution of gum tragacanth in water, u varying fromone-sixth of onepercent to one percent bfvweight, will provide a sprayable 1 ortheephedrine having the necessary mucilaginous characteristic.

WhereQInsh moss is employed, the same Q percentage range has been foundsufiicient.

I When the vegetable'solution has been thus,

'prepared,the ephedrine, or one of its salts,

such as ephedrine h drochloride or ephedrine sulphate,jyvill be 'ssolvedtherein and the I The percentage of ephedrine or salt will va to up to5% and-I ave found a 1% solutionto be ordinarilylsatisfactory.

Preferagl'iy, I'use ephedrine hydrochloride, to

the white orless crystals of which are readily soluble in the vegetablesolution.

Thevegletable com ound, namely the gum is a we -known demulcent andimpartsIviscidity to the solution.

Also the use of this compound makes it possible to have a clear transarent preparation which is distinguishedv y its mucilaginouscharacteristic. 4 The same properties are apparent when Irish moss isemplo ed, this compound having the pro erties o a demulcent being particularly e ective for bronchial affections and also as a-nutritive. Asis the case with gum tragacanth, Irish moss produces a clarifiedtransparent li uid preparation, having a mucil inous aracteristic.

In a dition to the ephedrine solution comprisin the ephedrine, orephedrine salts, and vegeta chlorobutanol, 4%, eucalyptol, phenol, -75and menthol,-%%.

, The'final preparation, with all of these ingredients present, is aclear fluid, which is easily flowable.

By the use of the mucilaginous solution, which is obtained byincorporating the vegetable substances above outlined, the ephedrine.

will exert its action upon the mucous mem- 1 I le compounds in water, Imay add to .00 I

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brane with great rapidity, since the gum tragacanth or Irish moss arenot insulative, a property which detracts from present oil solutions ofephedrine.

Moreover, the mucilaginous nature of the solution causes it to stick oradhere .to the affeted parts, and since it is quite fluid, the solutionwhen sprayed will spread and thus treat a relatively large area. Thusatreat- Io ment will be of prolonged duration, which will not only aidin alleviating the congestion, but moreover reducethe'possibility of thereturn of the congestion to a minimum.

In addition to the vegetable compounds is bove named, other compoundshaving the property of imparting a viscid or mucilagl'i" nouscharacteristic to the solution may utilized, and I have foundthat' Irishmoss and f.

' gum 'tragacanth can be combined if desired. he proportion, however,should besubstantially'within the range above set forth, namely A;%-to1% by weight. n

The solution is readily a plicable by means of a spray, and its effectis substantially ina 25 stantaneous; Y I

It is, of course, understood from the literature on this subjectthat-the ephedrine is easily soluble in water, and likewisethe,vegetable constituents of the solution are all wa- 80 tersoluble.This provides a stable solution """at all temperatures, which is highlyimporvt'ant, since the preparation can be bottled and'distributed'without fear of precipitation of theephedrine. 1 v

a: While I prefer to use gum tragacanth and I Irish moss, I- have alsofound that such vegetable compounds as gum acacia, agar agar andslippery elm may be employed. 1 v 1/ The percentages herein given are,of course, 40 approximativeand it will be understood that they may bevaried more or less. For instance, I'may-add more of the vegetablesubstance if required, but it is undesirable to have an excess of themucilaginousagent 4; since it will acquire a stickiness which would I beobjectionable when used in an atomizer. Iclaim: 7.4. I An aqueoussolution consisting of substan-- Hall 1 130 5% of an'ephedrinecompound-solu la in water, substantially sodium 1 chloride,-- substantiallychlorobutanol,

substantially eucalyptol, substantially I phenol, substantially menthol,and

to 1% of avegetable gum selected from a,

55 group consisting of gum tragacanth, gum

acacia,Irish moss-and agar agar;

In testimony I hereof I have hereunto set my-hand. ,v Y JOHN ,W.BULLOCK,

luni

